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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: track · bound · race · calf · press · prune · file · bulb

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. race — humankind
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. track — to keep track
  5. bound — certain
  6. press — newspapers
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bound — obliged
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. file — a line of people
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. race — the arms race
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. press — to push
  17. press — a publisher
  18. race — a contest
  19. file — a tool
  20. track — a path
  21. prune — to trim
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. bulb — for light
  24. file — a document

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com